The Accident
by Snaperocks
Summary: When Harry and Ron decided to fly the Ford Angela to Hogwarts, they didn't think that there would be graver consequences. Warnings: Slight adult language, mild gore. Harry and Ron bromance.


Here is a quick little oneshot I did while working on my other fic, The Truth is Revealed – Chapter 2 coming soon! I promise!

Warnings: Mild Swearing, Harry Ron Bromance (or pre-slash, however you want to think of it) I will not tolerate flaming, so don't bother. Don't like, don't read. I own absolutely nothing.

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**The Accident**

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late—

CRUNCH.

The last thing Harry heard was the earsplitting crunch of the car crashing into the tree and a blinding pain in his head. Then everything went dark.

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Ron was panicking. They had just crashed the car into a tree that was beginning to attack them, his wand had just been snapped almost clean in two and Harry's head had hit the windshield so hard he had been knocked out. He could see a bit of blood running down the side of his friend's face and that scared him more than anything. With every hit from the tree, Harry was thrown around like a ragdoll and Ron was afraid that it might actually kill them. He was shouting commands at the car in panic and pressing buttons, hoping to get the car moving.

"Come on, Come on! REVERSE!" He finally screamed. The car finally shot out of the tree but ended up tossing them all out of the car, as though it had had enough abuse and drove itself off in the direction of the forbidden forest. Hedwig burst out of her cage angrily and with a shrill, infuriated shriek, shot towards the owlery. Ron was thankful that at least the car had moved them far enough away that the tree couldn't reach them. But now he had a more serious problem.

Harry lay in an unconscious heap on the ground not far away from Ron and hadn't moved at all. He crawled as fast as he could toward his best mate and looked in horror at the blood and bruising that covered the smaller boy's body. His black hair was matted with sticky, crimson blood, his arm was bent at an odd angle and his breathing sounded harsh and labored. He was getting paler and he was losing so much blood! Ron didn't know what to do. He wouldn't have any problems carrying Harry because of how small and light he was, but Ron was too afraid that moving him would make the injuries worse and there was no way he was just going to leave him here.

Suddenly he heard a crunch and the distinct sound of hurried footsteps. He looked up and was never more relieved than to see Professor Snape hurrying toward them a mixture of fury and concern on his face. He didn't say anything when he reached them. Kneeling down beside Harry, he did a quick scan of his injuries and carefully levitated him onto a stretcher, so as not to make them worse.

"Mr. Weasley, I assume that you are proficient enough to levitate yours and Mr. Potter's luggage?" Ron swallowed thickly and nodded. Professor Snape didn't wait for him and quickly began to walk at a brisk pace towards the castle. Ron levitated their trunks and ran to catch up.

They reached the hospital wing in record time; with Ron panting harshly, having to practically run all the way just to keep up with the tall Potions Master. He gratefully lowered the trunks next to the bed Snape levitated Harry onto. When he left to fetch Madam Pomfrey, Ron moved to Harry's side and carefully brushed some of the blood matted hair away from his pale face. He looked so small and fragile in the huge bed. He looked like a broken doll, and it was his entire fault!

"Please be okay mate. I'm so sorry! This was a stupid idea!" He pleaded hoarsely to his unconscious friend.

"That it was Mr. Weasley."

Ron gulped and turned, coming face to face with a very angry potions professor. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Madam Pomfrey bustled frantically around Harry. Waving her wand and forcing potions down his throat.

"Both of you, out! I need to concentrate!" She said quickly. Snape nodded.

"Come with me Mr. Weasley. Leave the trunks, the house elves will send them to your dorm." He said nothing further, just swished around and stalked out of the hospital wing, expecting Ron to follow him. They traveled all the way down to the dungeons and into Snape's office. Snape closed the door with a bang, and flew behind his desk like an angry bat.

"Tell me, Weasley. Do you have any idea of what yours and Mr. Potter's actions have caused?" His question sent shivers down his spine.

"It wasn't Harry's fault, it was my idea. The barrier door closed and we couldn't get through. I didn't think-"  
"You most certainly did not! Not only have you gotten a classmate gravely injured, you were SEEN!" Snape hissed furiously, slamming a copy of the evening prophet on his desk in front of the shaken redhead. He shakily looked at the front page and his already pale, grey tinged face became, if possible, more sickly looking as he read the headline,

"FLYING FORD ANGLIEA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES"

"Your own father works in misuse of muggle artifacts, does he not, Weasley? I would have thought that his own son would have known better than to risk the exposure of the wizarding world in such a way! What happened to the car?"  
"It drove off, into the forbidden forest, Sir." He said quickly, not wanting to test the man's anger. "I really am sorry! We couldn't think of another way to get here and-"

"Mr. Potter owns an owl, does he not Mr. Weasley?" This was not Snape who spoke but Professor McGonagall, who had just entered Snape's office accompanied by none other than Headmaster Dumbledore. The Gryffindor Head of House's face was white and severe looking. "I can assure you that if one of you had sent a letter to the school, someone would have been sent to pick you up. Instead you decided to use a bewitched muggle car to fly to Hogwarts on your own. I don't know whether you completely understand the severity of your actions, Weasley. Not only have you broken the restriction for underage wizardry and risked exposure of the wizarding world with your actions, but we have just come from the hospital wing. Mr. Potter has a broken arm, several broken ribs; severe bruising and cuts from the broken glass and sustained extreme blood loss. Unfortunately, he is also in a coma. Madam Pomfrey is not sure when he will wake up, if at all. She was only just able to stabilize him. She almost lost him several times from blood loss."

Ron thought he was going to be sick. _'Harry might not wake up? He almost died? I almost killed my best mate!'_ He let out a strangled moan and swayed dangerously. _'What had he done?'_ He was vaguely aware of someone shoving a chair underneath him to collapse onto. He didn't say anything, sure that if he tried he would be sick. The professors, seeing his reaction at the condition of his best friend, took pity on him.

"You are not going to be expelled, Mr. Weasley," Professor Dumbledore said, "But you will be receiving a month's detention because your actions have indirectly caused serious injury a fellow student and we will be writing to your parents." Ron didn't care; if Harry never woke up he deserved expulsion at the very least.

"Do not despair, Mr. Weasley. Madam Pomfrey is very good at her job; she will take good care of Mr. Potter." Ron didn't say anything. Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall,

"I must return to the feast Minerva, there are a few announcements that I need to make. Severus, if you don't mind accompanying me?" Snape glowered but followed Dumbledore out. Professor McGonagall turned back to Ron and eyed him critically.

"You should go back to the hospital wing, Weasley, you are bleeding." She said, referring to the small cuts and bruises on his face. Ron shook his head.

"No, Madam Pomfrey needs to focus on Harry. It's not that bad." He said hoarsely. The professor pursed her lips even more but relented.

"Very well, however you will eat something." And she waved her wand, causing a small plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of pumpkin juice to appear. Ron was anything but hungry but took a sandwich at the stern look he received from his head of house.

"Eat as much as you can then go straight to Gryffindor tower, your things are already waiting for you. And by the way, your sister was sorted into Gryffindor." Ron's lips twitched into a small smile but fell again almost instantly. "I too must return to the feast. Remember Mr. Weasley, straight to your dormitory." And with that she swept out of the dreary office.

Ron never finished his first sandwich.

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When he reached the Fat Lady's portrait, he was stopped by a frantic Hermione coming up behind him.

"There you are! I have been looking everywhere for you! I have been hearing the most outrageous things! Where is Harry? And WHY are you covered in BLOOD?" Ron swallowed painfully.

"Not here Hermione, can you just tell me the password?" He choked. Hermione looked extremely nervous and gave the password.

"Wattlebird" The portrait swung open and they both climbed inside. They were met by a storm of cheers and clapping that died as soon as they saw the state Ron was in. Ron's twin brothers immediately started questioning him frantically, wanting to know the same things as Hermione. What happened, why Harry wasn't with him and why was he covered in blood. They steered him to a seat in front of the fire and the whole common room waited for him to start talking. Ron took a deep breath,

"Harry is in a coma." He said bluntly. Hermione gave a horrified gasp and sank into a nearby chair. The twins' and many other faces turned chalk white.

"The barrier at the station closed and I thought the car would be the best way to get here. The car stalled and we crashed into the whomping willow. Harry hit his head on the windshield and was thrown around when the tree started fighting back. He broke his arm and ribs and lost a lot of blood because of his head and the cuts from the glass. Madam Pomfrey doesn't even know if he is going to wake up." Ron had to choke out the last bit. "This is all his blood. He lost too much. I almost lost him!" After that Ron burst into tears not really noticing when the twins moved to hold him comfortingly, their faces completely ashen. Hermione was sobbing in her chair along with several other Gryffindors. Everyone's faces were sickly pale; a few of the first years had even run to throw up.

"It's all my fault! It was my idea to use the car. I didn't mean to hurt him! I'm sorry!" Ron moaned into his brother's shoulder.

"Shhh, Ronnie. It wasn't your fault. It was an accident. We know you would never hurt Harry on purpose." Fred said comfortingly.  
"Yeah," said George, "He will wake up. The kid's a fighter. You'll see." He looked up and motioned to Percy, who also looked extremely pale and ill, to start sending everyone out.

"Okay everyone. There is nothing we can do here. Start heading to bed." And he began to usher the younger students to their dorms.

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Weeks passed and still Harry did not wake. The cuts and bruises faded and his bones healed but he had not so much as twitched in nearly a month. Ron didn't sleep much, his dreams were filled with memories of the crash, of Harry yelling at him and blaming him, and the worst of all, one of the teachers coming to tell him that Harry had died in the middle of the night. He didn't eat much and lost a lot of weight and his grades were horrible. He hadn't reacted at all when Mrs. Weasley sent the howler the next day, nor did he react when the Slytherins taunted him. To put it mildly, Ron Weasley was a complete wreck. He spent every spare moment he had at Harry's bedside, pleading for him to wake up.

Madam Pomfrey was getting more worried because every day Harry's chances of waking up decreased. All of Gryffindor house had a depressed feel about it and they, as well as members from other houses often stopped by to bring get well cards or gifts or just to sit with Harry for a while. Hermione read every book she could find in the school library on coma patients and even asked her parents to send books. She was constantly shared bits of things that she had found out, both good and bad, to anyone willing to listen. Harry still did not wake up.

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It wasn't until late November that he started showing signs of improvement. Ron's visits had been reduced drastically due to the panic that the opening of the chamber of secrets was creating. Yet he was still the first to notice when Harry's hand twitched and had raced to tell Madam Pomfrey. She had confirmed that Harry was slowly getting better but still may not wake up anytime soon. Ron stayed with him every minute that he could, becoming more hopeful each time Harry's hand twitched or he showed any other signs of waking. Several more weeks passed and Mrs. Weasley insisted that Ron come home for Christmas break because several children had already been petrified and the school was panicking. She also felt that he needed a break from the stress that this year has put on him. Ron very reluctantly went home for Christmas.

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The first thing that Harry was aware of was that he was lying down. The second was that everything _hurt_! He felt like he had just been run over by the Hogwarts Express. Every muscle was just so sore and he felt too weak to move. Eventually he was finally able to open his eyes and adjust to the light. He recognized the hospital wing at Hogwarts almost immediately. He tried to remember how he ended up here, but the only thing he remembered was being in a flying c…oh crap!

Harry's eyes widened and paled considerably. They were in so much trouble! Harry carefully lifted his head to look around and noticed the zillions of cards, gifts and candies on tables surrounding his bed. He also wryly noted the small waste basket full of candy wrappers next to the night stand. There was one thing that made his blood run cold. He slowly picked up one of the Christmas cards closest to his bed, his eyes widening in alarm. Just how long had he been in here?

He heard a startled gasp and turned. Madam Pomfrey was looking at him like she had just seen a ghost but immediately controlled herself and rushed over and started fussing.

"It's about time you woke up Potter! You gave us all a terrible scare! Poor Weasley has been completely miserable these past few months; has barely left your side unless he was forced to."  
"Madam Pomfrey, did you say _Months_?" Harry asked in growing horror. "What happened? All I remember was the flying car. Are we in trouble?" The nurse looked sympathetically at Harry.

"Mr. Weasley ended up crashing the car into the whomping willow. You hit your head on the windshield and were knocked out. You have been in a coma for four months. I'll admit, at first we were not entirely sure you were even going to make it. If Professor Snape hadn't got you here when he did…"

"Snape?" Harry said incredulously. Madam Pomfrey stopped her fussing to look at him.

"Professor Snape was sent to fetch you two when you didn't arrive with the other students. He wasted no time in bringing you here as soon as he found you. You had a broken arm, several broken ribs, and very severe cuts from the glass in addition to your head injury. You were losing so much blood it was really touch and go for a while. Even after we got you stable, your chances of waking were so slim. I don't believe you will get in trouble, everyone will just be happy that you are awake!" And with that, the nurse hurried away to inform the other teachers.

Harry lay in his bed in shock. He couldn't believe he had been in a four month long coma and had almost died, _again_! Harry immediately thought of Ron. He sounded like he had taken all of this very badly, Harry just wasn't used to someone caring about him this much.

Harry had to spend the rest of Christmas break regaining his strength and by the time the students were due back, he was able to walk around, albeit carefully and was still very weak. He had decided to let everyone, including Ron, find out that he was awake by walking in to the great hall. It was really Professor Dumbledore's idea though. Harry suspected that the Headmaster would find it funny and it would be a nice surprise for the school. Dumbledore had also explained the new safety precautions this year and what they were for. Harry was shocked to learn about the attacks and the Headmaster had made him promise to stay out of it. No playing the hero. Apparently Harry had already given the school a nasty scare and there was only so much his old nerves were able to take at once.

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Ron hadn't gotten the chance to visit Harry before breakfast when he finally arrived back at the castle. He spent the entire break praying for an improvement, anything that would bring Harry one step closer to waking. He sat picking at his eggs while Hermione attempted to get him to eat more. She had been a real help these past few months. Ron knew that without her constant nagging, he would have let himself waste away in misery. Not that he would ever say so. He sighed again and didn't immediately notice when the great hall suddenly went quiet. He only looked up when Hermione nudged him, her eyes widened in surprise and awe at the front doors. Ron turned and he felt like the wind had just been knocked out of him.

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Madam Pomfrey had to help Harry down to the great hall, as he was still much too weak to reliably get there on his own. Half of her wanted to keep him in the hospital wing until he fully recovered but she realized that all he needed was to get his physical strength back. He was completely healthy otherwise, if very skinny and, in her opinion, extremely delicate. Harry stood at the front doors, nervously before they magically opened, which Harry was in no way expecting. He heard the whole hall suddenly go dead quiet, save for the gasps of surprise. He was searching the Gryffindor table for one particular person who had yet to notice his presence.

He watched as Hermione, looking like she was about to cry from happiness, nudged a truly miserable looking Ron. Harry was startled at the state of his best friend. He was paler, thinner and had horrible dark circles under his eyes. He looked drawn and tired. However once he looked up and realized exactly who was standing at entrance, his face lit up in hope and joy.

Ron slowly got up from his seat, hardly daring to believe his eyes. He started toward Harry slowly and broke into a run, practically picking Harry's small body off the ground when he stumbled and collapsed, exhausted into his best mate's arms. Ron had one arm around his waist and the other holding Harry's head to his shoulder. He buried his face into Harry's soft black hair, mumbling.

"Harry, thank Merlin! You're awake! I can't believe you're finally awake! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I'll never let anything hurt you again! Oh Merlin!" Harry felt Ron's tears through his hair. He had thrown both his arms around Ron's neck and had his face buried under the redhead's chin.

"Ron it's not your fault! It was an accident!" Harry insisted.

"I almost got you killed. I never would have forgiven myself if you had never woken up or Merlin forbid I actually lost you! I almost _did_ lose you!" Ron cried. He held Harry to him tighter. Both boys were completely oblivious to the happy cries and cheers from the rest of the school. Then Harry realized something,

"I'm sorry. I wasn't able to get you anything for Christmas!" Ron didn't let go of Harry at all but looked down with wide, disbelieving eyes at the messy black mop under his chin.

"Harry, you already gave me the best Christmas gift I will ever receive!" he said, kissing the top of his best mate's head, reveling in having Harry exactly where he wanted him.

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AN: I think I am almost done with the second chapter of The Truth is Revealed. It took so much longer than I thought it would. I am looking into easier ways to do the other chapters. What I want to know is, does everyone prefer me to go through the entire book or go more into the plot of the actual story, disregarding how far into the first book they actually get. Please let me know. If it is the second one, I may end up doing whole chapters of just plot with no reading the books. It is definitely faster and far less complicated.


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